{"id":3887,"date":"2026-06-12T19:03:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3887"},"modified":"2026-06-12T19:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:03:51","slug":"knicks-fever-is-colliding-with-world-cup-buzz-and-new-york-soccer-bars-are-trying-to-juggle-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3887","title":{"rendered":"Knicks fever is colliding with World Cup buzz, and New York soccer bars are trying to juggle both"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Sitting among a pint-raising crowd at a Manhattan soccer bar on the first day of the World Cup, George Carson described himself as a huge soccer fan who hopes to catch all 104 games of the global tournament.<\/p>

Read more The American Dream: World Cup glory<\/a><\/p>\n

But on Saturday?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got to watch the Knicks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In most nations hosting the World Cup, soccer is a fixation. But with the New York Knicks holding a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals against San Antonio and one win from their first title since 1973, attention is surely going to be split this weekend. The Knicks can clinch with a victory in Game 5 on Saturday night. Tipoff will come shortly after Brazil and Morocco wrap a World Cup match in New Jersey, and it will directly overlap with a showdown between Scotland and Haiti.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to watch all the World Cup games, but for us, the Knicks is still a priority,\u201d the 38-year-old Carson said while he and a friend viewed the World Cup opening ceremony at The Football Factory at Legends, a soccer bar near Madison Square Garden. \u201cI\u2019ll probably catch the (soccer) recap after.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Knicks have gripped New York, but even some diehard fans already have divided attention. Hours before sitting courtside for the Knicks\u2019 historic Game 4 rally at MSG, film director Spike Lee was clad in green and gold for a visit to Brazil\u2019s training facility in New Jersey on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Brazil plays Morocco in its opener at East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 6 p.m., a match slated to end about 30 minutes before the NBA game starts in Texas. Scotland-Haiti in Massachusetts starts at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

The Football Factory has 20 screens, enough to satisfy all fandoms.<\/p> \n

\u201cI hope they put it to bed Saturday night, so we can just say, well done, Knicks. Have your parade, and that\u2019s it. Now we can concentrate on the soccer,\u201d said Jack Keane, the Irishman who owns The Football Factory.<\/p>\n

Keane\u2019s bar hosts supporters groups from Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Leeds and AC Milan. He estimated more than 2,000 people come through his bar on Wednesday night, when the Knicks won Game 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Knicks crowd was the same as the Champions League final crowd,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Keane\u2019s bar was charging a $20 cover, with one drink included, for the Mexico-South Africa opener.<\/p> \n